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A Comparative Study of Jainism and Buddhism - Brahmacharit Sital Prasadji, 1934 - Complete Book

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(3) When going near or far, seeing here and there, spreading arms and legs, wearing clothes, taking four kinds of food as eatable, drinkable, tastable, and lickable, casting away refuse, sleeping, awaking, speaking and in 124 JAINISM AND BUDDHISM silence etc. activities, the monks should be aware of all these and be careful in them. (4) Then the monk may meditate that this body from head to foot, from foot to head is altogether full of filth, bones, blood, flesh, fat, perspiration, spitting, filth of nose, impurities etc.; just as a soak is full of different kinds of corn-seeds, a clever man knows them separately as pulse, rice, wheat etc., so he may know the nature of every part of the body separately. (5) Then he meditates that this body is made up of the elements earth, water, fire and air. (6) Then he thinks that this body is sure to be destroyed once and to become a dead body. (7) Then he considers that this body when dead 1 is liable of being eaten by eagles, crows etc. (8) Then he meditates that the body when dead will be broken into parts of head, legs, arms etc. separately. Then he thinks that this body will once be grounded and mixed into ashes. - Thus he becomes unattached with the body. II. Meditation upon feelings :— The monk knows, when he is feeling pleasure or pain and when there is neither pleasure nor pain. He properly ascertains the nature of the world pleasure and pain, strong and mild and also knows their internal and external features and their causes—knowing thus disinterestedly, he does not believe them to be useful. THE PATH OF NIRVANA OR LIBERATION 125 III. Meditation upon mind. The monk knows the attached mind as the attached one and non-attached mind as non-attached one, the mind with hate as one with hate and mind without hate as one without hate, the deluded mind as one with delusion, the delusionless mind as one without delusion ; the steady mind as the steady and unsteady mind as unsteady ; the mind in grandeur as in grandeur and the mind without grandeur as. without grandeur. In the same way he recognises the charitable mind, unchari- table mind, peaceful mind, non-peaceful mind, passion- less mind, passionful mind,—whatever be the nature of mind, he knows its internal and external features— knowing thus the nature of the thing, he does not identify any one with himself and does not grasp any one in this universe. IV. Meditation upon the nature of conditions. 1. Meditation upon the five impurities (Nivarana):— (1) Sensual desire (2) enmity (3) dullness (4) restless- ness and grief (5) doubt. Concerning these five, the monk meditates if they are found in him or not. If they are found, he knows such; if they are not found, he knows such; if they are not in him, he recognises how they can be produced ; and if they are in him, he knows how to get rid of them. He also knows the way how not to let them again re-appear on their once dis- appearance. He is properly aware with the internal 126 JAINISM AND BUDDHISM - and external features of these five impurities. He knows the way how they arise and how they are destroyed. 2. Meditation upon five root spheres. (Upadana skhandha). The monk recognizes the nature, the cause of arising, and the cause of destruction with regard to body, feeling, sensation, mentation and consciousness. He knows their internal and external feature. 3. Meditation upon the six internal and external sense-organs (dyatana). The monk recognizes the eye, the object known through the eye, and the impurity of attachment pro- duced in connection with these two; he also knows how the attachment can arise and how to destroy it if it has arisen, also knows the way how it may not again rise after its destruction once. In the same way, he recognizes all about ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. 4. Meditation upon seven modes of attaining true knowledge (Bodhi anga). The monk recognizes if he has within himself the recollection of true knowledge; if he has it, he knows such ; if he has it not, he knows such. He also knows how to produce it if it is not in him, and how to keep it firmly if it has arisen in him, and how to advance it to its completion. In the same way he THE PATH OF NIRVANA OR LIBERATION 127 meditates upon the other six modes (1) thought of Dharma or piety (2) energy (3) love (4) peacefulness (5) equanimity or concentration (6) non-attachment. 5. Meditation on four Arya truths. The monk rightly knows the nature of pain, its cause, cessation of pain and the means of cessation of pain. As to the 8th path Samyak Samadhi four kinds of concentration have been mentioned. But there are other concentrations also after them. For them see Majjhim Nikaya 8th sallekhana sutta. The other improved concentrations according to Sallekhana sutta are the following :— (1) Akdasa-dnantya-dyatana, to have concentration on pure infinite space. (2) Vijhana-adnantya-ayatana—to have concentra- tion on infinite consciousness. (3) Akinchanya dyatana—to have concentration that nothing belongs to me. (4) Naiva Sanjnaé nd sanjnaé dyatana to con- centrate that there is neither name nor any nameless, neither any sensation nor ‘any non-sensation. This last concentration leads to Nirvana, it appears. As has been said above, the root cause of worldly wanderings is ignorance. We may give some more quotations from the Buddhist works to show the path of Nirvana. 128 JAINISM AND BUDDHISM (4) “The doctrine of the Buddha” by George Grimm, page 287-288. Ignorance is the basis of the whole chain of suffering. Ignorance is the deep night where-in we here so long are circling round (sutta nipata on P. 730). . | If ignorance is abolished, thirst and together with it all causuality is up-rooted for ever, those who have vanquished delusion, and broken through the dense darkness, will’ wander no more. Causuality exists no more for them (Itivuttaka 114). In dependence on ignorance avidya, arises organic process of senses; in dependence on them, arises consciousness vijndna ; in dependence on vijndna arises corporeal organization Ndmarupa, in dependence on Ndmarupa arises six organs of sense Sata dyatana, then contact phasa, then sensation Vedana, then thirst trisna, then grasping upadana, then becomig bhava, then birth jati, then old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, despair (Udan I 37). Note.—The eight-fold path described above has its root beginning with Samyak-darsana, right view. The correct view is the very first element of the path constructed by the Buddha for the annihilation of suffering. He himself calls it ditthi or right view. The same book shows the necessity of right con- centration p. 394, Contemplating and contemplating we will purify our deeds; contemplating and contem- THE PATH OF NIRVANA OR LIBERATION’ 129 plating we will purify our thoughts. Thus Rahula, you ought to exercise yourself (M. I. P. 420). (5) Sacred Books of the East (1881) Vol. X, Tran- slation of Dhammapada. The path of Nirvana is said in Chapter XX. _ Page 273. The best of way is the eight-fold; the best of truths, the four words (pain, its origin, its destruction, its way); the best of virtues passionlessness ; the best of me-he who has eyes to see. Page 276, You yourself make an effort. The Tathagatas are only preachers. The thoughtful who enter the way are freed from the bondage of Mara. Page 277. All created things perish; he who knows and sees this, becomes passive in pain; this is the way of purity. : Page 308. He alone who, without ceasing prac- tices the duty of sitting alone, and sleeping alone, subdues himself, will rejoice in the destruction of all desires alone, as if living in a forest. | (6) Sutta Nipdta translated by V. Fausbdéll (1881)- I. Kédsi bharadvdaja Sutta. (2) Bhagwan said :— “Faith is the seed, penance the rain, under- standing my yoke and plough, modesty the pole of the plough, mind the tie, thoughtfulness my plough- share and goad. 17 130 _ JAINISM AND BUDDHISM (3) I am guarded in respect of the body, I am guarded in respect of speech, temperate in food; I make truth to cut away (weeds), tenderness is my deliverance. (4) Exertion is my beast of burden, carrying (me) to nibbana, he goes without turning back to the place, where having gone, one does not grieve. (5) So the ploughing is ploughed, it bears the fruit of immortality, having ploughed this ploughing one is freed from pain.” II. Kulavagga (1) Uttham Sutta 4/333. Indolence (Pamdda) is defilement, continued indolence is defile- ment, by earnestness (appamdda) and knowledge let one pull out his arrow. (6) Gara sutta (attha vagga IV). 9/812. As a drop of water does not stick to a lotus, so the muni does not cling to anything, namely to what is seen, heard or thought. The Pali words are :— gafig ante deat at zat a one oe Aariaecuna aa et fsa qag a. Uda vindu yathapi pokkhare-padme yathapi na lippatt, Evam muni nopalippatt yata idam dittha sutam mutesu va. 7 Ill. Tuvaluka sutta. 2/916. Let him completely cut off the root of what is called Papancha (delusion), thinking “I am THE PATH OF NIRVANA OR LIBERATION 13] wisdom ”’ so said Bhagawata—‘ all the desires that arise inwardly, let him learn to subdue them, always being thoughtful.’ 6/920. As in the depth of the sea, no wave is born, (but as it) remains still, so let the Bikkhu be still, without desire, let him not desire anything whatever. V. Parayan vagga (4) Pannava manava pukkha. 6/1047. Having considered everything in the world, O Pannava, so said Bhaghavata,—he who is not defeated anywhere in the world, who is calm without the smoke of passions, free from woe, free from desire, he crosses over birth and old age. (14) Udaya manava pukkha. 3/1106.